Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon - a new type of adventure game
Written: Nov 26 '05 (Updated Jan 31 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Wonderful graphics, great voice acting, interesting gameplay deviation...
Cons: ... which doesn't always work, annoying camera tracking, too short
The Bottom Line: Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is a good addition to the series but the new style doesn't always work. Still well worth playing though.
captaind's Full Review: Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon (Add on) for Win...
Overview
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is the third in the highly successful Broken Sword series of games. Unlike the previous two, however, this is no 2D adventure game – rather it is a 3D, adventure-based game. It still features the two stars of the previous games, French journalist Nicole Collard and American tourist (now patent lawyer) George Stobbart. In the first two games they defeated a modern branch of the Knights Templar and an ancient cult. This time, it’s the future of the whole world that hangs in the balance…
The Plot
An ancient manuscript deciphered for the first time… the murder of a young hacker in Paris just before he is to be interviewed by Nico… a trail of clues that lead to the most astonishing myths and legends coming true… and a battle for the most powerful force in the world, and indeed the worlds itself. (Yeah, typical Broken Sword fodder! :-D)
First Impressions
The first thing that hits you is the graphics – they are breathtaking. After a little while getting used to the interface and the fact that the gameplay style is rather different to what I expected, this looked like turning into a superb game.
Interface
The interface uses the arrow keys for movements, the AWDS keys for interaction (depending on the object you’re looking at the options will change – for instance, for a door you’ll have the option to look at it, listen to what’s happening on the other side, or open it), along with shift to run, control to crouch / move stealthily, and spacebar to bring up your inventory. Some have criticised this interface but I found that it worked rather well, and it was more satisfying to have several options as to what to do with each object than to just have a single “interact” button. What’s visible to you onscreen shows up as a hotspot, when there’re more than one you can scroll through them with the page up / page down keys.
The main problem with the interface wasn’t actually with the controls themselves, but with the camera. It changed of its own accord as you moved, which was fine normally and no doubt added to an almost cinematic quality to the game, however it did often mean your perspective shifted without you asking it to and meant that the direction key you were holding down was suddenly the wrong way. This did get very annoying in a few places.
Just as in the second game, you get to play the part of both George and Nico at different times. Thought the interface is the fame, the way you solve certain puzzles does slightly depend on who you’re using – for instance, George is stronger (so can push crates around etc) while Nico is more acrobatic.
Difficulty
The traditional adventure elements of the game were, for the most part, quite easy. The inventory was slightly limited but didn’t seem terribly so, however this isn’t a traditional adventure game. Interspersed with the traditional problem solving are some scenes of trying to get past guards or arranging handy nearby crates, Sokoban-like, to gain access to a new area. These again were pretty easy on the whole, though there were a couple of more challenging ones. You won’t have too many problems completing the game. (It took us a little over 12 hours of playing time.)
Aesthetics
As mentioned, the graphics are beautiful, even the in-game graphics being nearly as good as the DivX video sequences and cut scenes. There were one or two glitches in the graphics near the end of the game but nothing terrible. Some of the best graphics I’ve ever seen grace this game.
The voice acting is, as you would expect, excellent. (Sadly some of the dialogue is pretty terrible though!) The sound effects are also superb and lend considerably to the game’s atmosphere. The music I found a little disappointing; and the fact that it mostly seemed to make its presence felt only when something important had happened felt a bit cheesy in the end. Not bad, but could have been better (and certainly nothing like as good as the excellent music in the second game.)
Will You Still Be Playing it in 6 Months’ Time?
I very much doubt it – the game’s too easy for that, though it’s still of a respectable length.
Is it Worth the Money?
Since we bought it second-hand on Amazon Marketplace for £3 + P&P, I would definitely say yes. Had I paid full price for it when it had been released, however, I would have been somewhat disappointed.
Other Thoughts
What Revolution Software have done here is to create a hybrid game, a cross between a traditional adventure and a puzzle game, with a touch of Tomb Raider thrown in for good measure (an idea which seems to be reinforced by Nico’s outfit when they’re in hotter climes!). The real question any fans of the series will want to know about the new 3D element and new gameplay style is, does it work? The answer is both yes – to an extent. The graphics are wonderful and many of the locations (even some of the same characters) from the first game have been lovingly recreated, and I can’t see anyone having a problem with them at all. The gameplay and puzzles are quite similar for the most part, though I suspect that most fans of adventure games will find the other gamelay elements more of a distraction or something to be got past than really enjoyed. The plot is developed in true Broken Sword style – complex and intelligent – until the very end, where it all becomes a bit farcical to be honest.
It’s a good game, but for those of us who loved the first two games, perhaps not as good as it should have been. Some fans may even feel betrayed because of the new hybrid game style, but I think overall it was an idea well worth experimenting with, and implemented quite effectively. Suffers slightly from being too short, as do both the earlier games.
*****************
Final Ratings
Graphics: - 94% - some of the best graphics I’ve ever seen, but occasional glitches towards the end of the game slightly pull back this rating.
Sound: - 86% - great voice acting as ever and great ambient sound effects, slightly disappointing music however.
Playability: - 75% - the interface takes a little getting used to and the changing camera angle is annoying.
Longevity: - 73% - a little too short, or perhaps a little too easy. Only one really tough puzzle in the whole game.
Replay Value: - 67% - you might play it again just for the graphics and for something a little different from other games.
Value For Money: - 81% - if you can get it cheap it’s well worth it.
Overall Rating: - 79% - a good game that’ll keep you happy for a while, but not a great one. Overall probably the weakest game in the Broken Sword series, but not by much and still well worth playing.
On completion…
… of the game you get access to a few special features, but they’re not that great in all honesty. (Concept art gallery etc.)
System Specs
(Minimum)
OS: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
CPU: Pentium III 750 MHz
RAM: 128MB
8x CD-ROM Drive
DirectX 8.1
Graphics card: GeForce2 64 MB or Equivalent
Spare HDD space: 1 GB
Keyboard and Mouse /Gamepad
(Recommended)
CPU: 1.2 Ghz Pentium III Processor or equivalent
Graphics Card: GeForce4 Ti 4200 or Equivalent
Sound Card with 5.1 Surround Sound Support
Compelling adventure gameplay, combining detective investigation, exploration, and stealth An epic narrative from Europe¿s master interactive story...More at Amazon
Compelling adventure gameplay, combining detective investigation, exploration, and stealth An epic narrative from Europe¿s master interactive story...More at Amazon Marketplace
The murder of an underground hacker in Paris is just the beginning of this extraordinary adventure for George Stobbart and Nico Collard in the highly ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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